Project Background

Building on experience from the existing product generation and field feedback, our client, a leading manufacturer of water treatment devices, decided to further improve its monitoring device for water treatment systems.

To support this, they engaged our team to help refine the device concept and bring it closer to validation and production.

The device was developed to provide a comprehensive connected solution for collecting, analyzing, and assessing the performance of water treatment systems. It enables better product lifecycle decisions, more efficient diagnostics for service teams, and reliable, low-disruption operation for end users.

It is designed for continuous, long-term deployment in home installations, requiring high reliability, low power consumption, and minimal maintenance.

The Challenge

The device had to provide reliable flow and pressure data. If this data was unstable or incorrectly processed, the cloud platform could not provide accurate insight into system performance, consumables, or CO₂ savings.

Another important requirement was a secure and repeatable provisioning process, as well as a test strategy that could support both development and manufacturing.

Our Contribution

We supported the client across firmware, hardware, testing, and manufacturing preparation.

We reviewed the existing hardware design and field feedback to identify opportunities for improving long-term reliability and product robustness. Based on this review, we did the PCB redesign, coordinated PCBA assembly, verified the prototype boards, and prepared verification reports.

On the firmware side, we developed embedded C firmware for collecting and processing data from flow and pressure sensors. We also implemented cloud connectivity and a secure IoT device provisioning process, helping the client prepare the product for scalable field deployment.

To reduce development risk, we defined test plans and executed end-to-end IoT system testing. This allowed us to validate not only the device, but the complete flow from sensor data acquisition to cloud communication.

We also built a HIL test setup and implemented automated functional tests, enabling faster validation during development and reducing the risk of regressions.

For the transition to manufacturing, we prepared automated production tests and a dedicated test fixture. In addition, we performed in-house EMC pre-compliance testing to identify potential issues earlier and reduce the risk of late-stage redesign.

Results

The project resulted in a validated hardware and firmware platform ready for production and future product generations.

The client achieved:

• more reliable long-term field operation
• reliable real-time monitoring of system performance and consumables
• more efficient service diagnostic
• better visibility into operational behavior and CO₂ savings
• automated testing infrastructure for development and manufacturing
• a scalable hardware platform for future connected product generations